


The Second Avatar: Air

by MarvelMatt



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Airbending & Airbenders, Bending (Avatar), Choices, Earthbending & Earthbenders, F/M, Families of Choice, Family, Fear of Discovery, Firebending & Firebenders, Lineage & Legacies, Loyalty, Pride, Self-Discovery, Spirit Guides, Spirit World, Spirits, Waterbending & Waterbenders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-09-01 19:44:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8635771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvelMatt/pseuds/MarvelMatt
Summary: Angry at Avatar Aang's disappearance from the world he owes his duty to, and devastated by the war that has ravished the world, severely crippling the Sun and Fire Spirit Agni, the council of the eldest spirits creates their own champion, to fight for freedom across the lands.
There's only really one catch.
In order to support the power of The Avatar, the host chosen must have blood connected to the Spirit of the Avatar, which means the host must be a direct descendant of a past Avatar.
And the only potential candidate is due to be born in the coming Winter, and is the son of the man devastating the world.
The son of Fire Lord Sozin.
His name is Zuko, Prince of the Fire Nation, Heir to the Dragon Throne, and the new Avatar.
It is up to him to save the world.





	

** The Second Avatar **

**Book One: Air  
Chapter 1: Prologue to War**

 

* * *

 

Their meeting place looked like something straight out of a fairy tale story, but then again, one could argue, that the entire Spirit World looked as though it had been born from the imagination of a team of overexcited children.

Out in the open, in the open crater-mouth that sat atop of the Spirit World’s highest mountain, a meeting was awaiting to start.

A meeting that had not been held for over fifteen hundred years.

Signalling their arrival, and being the first of them to appear, as steadfast in time as his element, the very earth rose up from the ground, swirling upwards towards the sky, it twisted and shifted upon itself, until it formed the very shape it desired.

The dark dirt fused together to form the body shape it preferred, and stepping out of the mess created by her arrival, she stood strong and resolute.

Her slightly dark, seemingly shining, skin, gave her an tanned quality that her people so often appeared with, as she held a gaze with sharp piercing green eyes, which she used to mark her chosen. Deep brown hair hung from the top of her head, kept in a neat, but practical cut around her face, and with her wiry, yet firm muscles, she looked as powerful and strong as she could, without looking excessive in her mind.

She disliked excess, and kept everything plain, as her green and yellow robes formed around her, swirling though the air to wrap themselves around her frame.

Behind her, under the realisation of her presence, her earthen throne rose straight out of the ground, still remaining in the very shape she’d created at her birth, striking, and yet, plain in a way.

She sat firmly down, not as a graceful lady should, and then she waited for the others to join her, for Earth is the element of substance, both unyielding and unchanging, it would stand firm in any conditions, which showed as her features made her appear bland, but not unattractive, even if she was as patient, and as stubborn, as the Earth is unmoving.

 

_The fate of both worlds is at stake. They **will** be here._

_They **must** be._

 

* * *

 

The smell of the ocean breeze greets her before they do.

The moisture in the air hung still for a moment, alerting her to their arrival, seconds before it all moved, swirling around, with rivulets of raindrops dancing across the new moonlight, before converging onto her right side, and looking as cool and collected as the last time she saw them, the mist condensed into two forms.

The first form was female, draped in light robes of a deep midnight blue, with locks of flowing white hair that fell down her back, and seemed to fade into the very air, and eyes that glowed with the deep blue of the ocean at rest. She exuded peace and tranquillity, her features, calm and beautiful, serene as her slim features emitted a faint glow of moonlight from her silhouette, hiding her true power.

Her true potential, which waxed and waned inside of her, remaining hidden, like the full moon that could not be seen.

Her companion, and also her husband, was wrapped in robes of the deepest blue, the colour of the ocean enraged. His eyes swirled with intensity, reflecting the same colour of their chosen people, matching his wife’s, but thrumming with the combined might of the ocean during the strongest of storms. His hair, the same shade of bright white as his wife’s, was pulled up into a warrior’s wolf tail, serving to display his status as a fighter, highlighting his sharp face and muscular frame, which was covered in the darker shade of skin that marked their people.

The excess water coalesced behind them, forming the two thrones that had been there since the physical moon had first pulled on her ocean counterpart. In sync, they sat back, the water condensing into a beautiful, glittering ice, as they finally turn their attention to the woman sitting beside them, who offered them a curt nod, in lieu of an actual greeting.

“Tui, La”, she nods to each of them in turn, and Tui smiles brightly at her, looking as truly radiant as ever, while La simply offers her a nod of his own in response.

“Prithvi”, they speak simultaneously, ever and always acting and moving in balance.

 

_Always pushing and pulling, the yin and yang of the universe._

_The Moon and The Ocean._

 

Any further speech between them is halted by the next arrival.

The winds pick up instantly, and violently, spinning and clashing, coming together to form a miniature vortex in front of them. The wind battered against the three seated spirits, causing them to raise their hands to cover their eyes against the onslaught of the air.

When the wind dies back down, the new arrival is already seated.

“Tui, La, Prithvi”, he says, as he addresses each one in turn, offering them all a wide smile, the bright, silver-grey eyes of his own chosen cast his world in innocence, but they knew the truth.

“Vayu”, the three intoned, trying not to laugh at his childlike innocence, as they took in his appearance. Despite being the oldest of them all, as well as the wisest by far, he often acted as the youngest, but he made them all smile.

The truth was the mischief his eyes held.

His clothing matched the formal robes of his own chosen people. A light orange robe under a darker orange cape, and holding a wooden staff in hand. His tattoos are still visible to them, but different from the last time they had all been in the same place, despite being bright white against his skin instead of his people’s own sky blue, the most noticeable being on top of his head, the design has shifted from the rough symbol for of a cloud to a pointed arrow. A small pointed beard sat on the bottom of his chin, pointing straight downwards, combing with his shaven head to give him the look of a wise elder.

He’s about to speak again, as he moves about on his own seat, made from the same swirling winds that brought him, opposite Prithvi, and to the right of Tui and La. For anyone else, it would be impossible to sit upon, but, somehow, improbably even for the spirit world, he is held in place somehow, and after all of the years they’ve known him, and for all his eccentricities, they’ve simply stopped asking about it.

He is stopped from speaking further by a burst of bright white light, feeling the pure heat itself flaring outwards, making them all clench their eyes shut tightly, as the effect blinds them, almost painfully so.

And when they are able to open their eyes once again, the cause of the small explosion has already appeared.

In pointed black boots, black silk-spun trousers and a vibrant red tunic, he appears before them. The golden bands on his upper arms seem to reflect the sunlight which has grown to encompass them all, removing the mask of darkness generated by Tui. His eyes, once a fierce and proud molten gold in colour, which usually clashes with his pale skin, appear to be no more than a dull yellow. His hair is combed backwards, hanging down to his shoulders, as his moustache hangs down his face. His hair, black at his creation, and ever since then, has become a mixture of grey and white, almost to look like his cold counterparts, but unlike the vibrant white of Tui and La, his has grown to appear dull, and lifeless.

That is their greatest, and most obvious sign that the true nature of his art, the nature of his children, is becoming perverted and lost.

“Tui, La, Prithvi, Vayu”, he offers each one a small smile in greeting, and receives one back from most of them, though Prithvi is too stubborn to do anything other than nod.

“Agni”, is the one worded greeting they all give him, speaking in concert.

He steps backward slightly, completing the circle, causing a large fire to erupt behind him, startling Vayu, who was watching him far too closely for his liking.

 

_It’s not as if they can’t see me._

 

It’s too late for further contemplation. They can see the physical change more closely, not that he has taken his seat. His throne, usually comprised of the pure white flame, is a bold orange colour. His pale skin shows his seeming weight loss, making him appear gaunt and sick, instead of his usual strength and passionate self.

They can all see him tremble as he moves.

They can see how weak he is.

Smirking slightly, masking himself in his arrogance, and fooling nobody, Agni sits atop his throne of fire, to the right Vayu, leaving the largest gap between himself and Prithvi, completing the circle they have adjusted to, leaving one remaining space empty, for the one who cannot be reached.

The Council of Creators begins.

 

* * *

 

“This is getting us nowhere”, Prithvi’s tone is one of complete boredom, bordering on annoyance, the five of them have been talking for several hours, and to her irritation, they’ve been talking in circles.

The Earth does not do _circles_.

And yet, in a display of stubbornness she admires, none of them want to change their stances.

Agni wants to send one of his own people to help with the war - it was his lineage that started this mess, so his people should be the ones to fix it.

Vayu wants to help the Avatar to save the world, and Privthi is not disinclined to agree - it is, after all, his responsibility as their representative in the mortal world, but therein is a problem.

The Avatar is the reason the world has failed.

Tui and La are both supporting the idea that the spirits need to intervene directly.

 

_By Raava **and** Vaatu, this is beyond pointless. Have they become blind? Have we all?_

_Have I?_

_Has this war affected us all as it has affected Agni? Surely they can see that the ideal solution is right in front of them._

 

“No! What _we_ need to do is-“

“WE? No, we should pick a human-“

 

_All we have to do is, look at the people, listen to their needs, and then… wait._

_And the solution makes itself known._

 

“Aang is already there. If we could just-“

“Aang is not-“

“ENOUGH!”

The earth may be continually patient, and unchanging, but Prithvi had reached the end of her own.

The time for action was upon them.

The four warring heads turned to face her, shock was on the faces of Vayu, Tui and La, it was not often her temper flared, whilst Agni wore his usual look of intense anger, his arrogance stretched across his face, though it receded when he saw that Prithvi had stood up.

“You are all arguing around in circles, like little childish airbenders”, Prithvi knew she was close to her breaking point, but lacked the ability to care, “you’re not listening, not waiting, just moving and deflecting in circles”

She exhaled, once, twice, “You”, she said, pointing at Agni, “wish to send a human to fix this, from the Fire Nation, to fix this caused by your chosen, as well as start to restore the art of true firebending, to restore the way of the Sun, correct?”

Too tired to speak against her, the talking having drained him more than he dared show to the others, Agni nodded his agreement.

“You two”, she rounded on Tui and La, both of whom bristled at her pointed look, “think that the spirits need to intervene directly, correct?”

Tui and La nodded aggressively, afraid to anger the Earth Spirit further.

“And you”, she rounded on Vayu, who visibly flinched, disliking confrontation, “think that we need the assistance of the Avatar - Aang you called him. A natural-born airbender?”

“Well… yes, I thi-“

“Who also happens to be frozen in a block of ice, somewhere near the mortal World’s Southern Pole, as he has been for the last eighty three years?”

“Well… technically yes, but-“

“No buts”, she cut Vayu off abruptly, before he could start on his latest lecture, “all four of you are missing the obvious solution”

To her left, she saw Agni smirk, and she hid own of her own in response, as he had finally figured out where she was going with this.

“We need an Avatar. No Vayu”, she cut him off before he could interrupt, “Not Aang, he remains hidden away, blocked from reaching us, but a new one. An… _anomaly_ as it were, a second _chosen_ Avatar that can help bring balance back to the world, and in time, restore Fire to its rightful place among the elements”

Agni leaned back against his fiery throne, nodding his consent to her plan, as she knew he would. Tui and La held a whispered argument, before turning back and nodding their agreement.

Vayu took longer.

“Be clear as air on this Privthi”, his voice was strong and decisive, like the East Wind, “that he is not to become the first in a new cycle of Avatars, but a singularity in the world. The only one in this non-cycle?”

“Yes Vayu”, Prithvi offered him an apologetic smile, “this role is not to replace Aang, but to help guide the world at its most critical junction. We are agreed that it needs help now, we do not know when it is that Aang will reawaken, and the world cannot handle two Avatars. Two would damage the physical world and bending itself”

“How can it be done?” La’s voice was deep, he was the quiet one, except for when his temper roared like the storm, “We cannot recreate the merging that The Avatar holds with Raava”

“If the child is blessed by us _all_ ”, she stressed her final word as she locked eyes with them all, “then any remnant of Raava kept through a bloodline will allow him or her a strong connection to the four elements. Perhaps he or she will even be stronger than the Avatar, or perhaps weaker, I do not know… this has never been done before, but they should be able to bend as well as any of our masters”

“Is all this to say that you have a candidate in mind?” Tui’s gaze held her curiosity and Prithvi knew from the look in her eyes that she had won her over.

“No, I do not”, Prithvi watched as Tui’s face fell slightly and La’s eyes narrowed at her, holding her in suspicion, “But I believe our dear friend Agni does”

Four gazes turned expectantly towards him, as he straightened up on his throne, mustering what remained of his strength, in an attempt to look as regal as he could in his condition.

“There is a boy marked to be born in five months hence-“

“An equinox birth, perhaps?”

Agni offered a warm smile to his oldest friend, “Indeed”

“An interesting date that is, especially more so when this is the date you choose”

“I chose nothing, and yet, it feels fitting does it not?” He turned his attention to the empty space, reserved for only the most honourable of guests, “The boy is three generations from my last, the Avatar Roku, with the blood of our spirit still strong in his veins. He will be both great-grandson to Avatar Roku, and the blood of my blood, the great-grandson of Fire Lord Sozin”

La huffed in his own amusement, “Combining both the bloodlines of the Avatar and the Fire Lord into one being”

“Yes. It will be difficult for him to adapt, but the boy will be strong. He will be _ours_ ”

He ran a hand over his moustache, smoothing it over, “I have already seen his birth. His name will be Zuko, and he will help bring balance to the world”


End file.
